Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Do you know what not to eat during pregnancy? Here are the foods and drinks to ditch when you're eating for two — and the safer alternatives.

Eating for two? Then you already know the benefits of a good pregnancy diet and getting your daily quota of fruits and veggies, complex carbs, and protein. But did you also know that while your little peanut can benefit from all the healthy nutrients you're nibbling on, a baby-to-be can also be affected by anything else (read: the bad stuff) that could be lurking in your food — from bacteria to chemicals? That's why when it comes to eating during pregnancy, the best rule is to err on the side of safety and stay away from foods that could harbor enough pathogens to make you sick (thanks — or not thanks — to your suppressed immune system). Besides the potentially harmful bacteria and chemicals you'll want to avoid when you're expecting, there are certain ingredients, like caffeine, that you'll want to limit. So how do you figure out what's safe and what's not? Here is the lowdown on the foods and drinks to avoid during pregnancy.

Alcoholic Drinks

So how do you toast a promotion or celebrate a birthday or some other happy event without the champagne (or margarita, wine spritzer, or your alcoholic beverage of choice) now that you're pregnant? You break out the mocktails or the fruit-juice spritzers for the next 40-odd weeks. You may have heard that an occasional alcoholic drink is okay, but it's best to be on the safe side when you've got a baby on board. Why? Alcohol enters your baby's bloodstream in the same concentration as yours — and takes twice as long to leave it — so whatever you're drinking, your baby's downing one, too. But what about that night out with the girls (and a few too many margaritas) a couple of days before you found out you were pregnant? It happens to many moms, and (what a relief!) there's no need to worry.

Unpasteurized Dairy and Juices

Fortunately you don't have to worry about finding unpasteurized milk at the supermarket, thanks to the Food and Drug Administration. But soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk are another story — they can harbor Listeria and other pathogens. To stay safe, don’t nosh on feta, Brie, Camembert, goat cheese, blue-veined cheeses, and queso fresco unless you’re positive they’re made with pasteurized products (always check the label to make sure). Other safe alternatives: Stick with hard cheeses (like Swiss and cheddar) or heat up soft cheeses until bubbly. Also steer clear of unpasteurized juices like apple cider or fresh-squeezed OJ. What about treated juice (fruit juices found in farmer's markets and health-food stores that are unpasteurized but have been treated to kill bacteria)? As long as it's been treated through UV irradiation, it's probably okay.

Too Many Caffeinated Beverages

Even if you couldn't get by without your daily triple-shot vanilla lattes before you became pregnant, now's definitely the time to switch out two of those caffeinated shots for decaf ones. While a couple of cups of coffee are fine throughout your pregnancy, consuming more than 200 mg of caffeine per day has been linked to miscarriages. What's more, too much caffeine can interfere with your body's ability to absorb iron (which can lead to anemia). So besides taming the caffeine habit and bypassing a lot of that java, pay attention to other sneaky sources of caffeine to ensure you don't slip over the 200 mg limit. Drinks like Mountain Dew can have about 40 mg of caffeine. If energy drinks were your pre-pregnancy pick-me-up of choice, just remember they are high in caffeine, too — Red Bull's caffeine content is 80 mg per can.

Raw or Seared Seafood

Got a taste for some tuna sashimi? Obsessing over those oysters on the half shell? Before you visit your favorite raw bar or local sushi joint, keep in mind that uncooked or even seared seafood is off-limits during pregnancy — the risk of ingesting bacteria and parasites along with your meal is too high. So you'll just have to say no to raw oysters, clams, ceviches, fish tartares, and carpaccios, along with the smoked stuff (like lox) that can also harbor illness-inducing parasites and bacteria. And while this doesn't mean you should shun your favorite Japanese restaurant for the next nine months, it does mean that you'll need to be careful about what you order. Most places, for example, offer rolls made with cooked seafood or vegetables right at the sushi bar! Just make sure that any seafood you order is well cooked: Fish should flake and shellfish should be firm.

Rare or Underdone Meat

Even if you've been cooing over those adorable baby-girl layette pieces, now is not the time to be seeing pink…or red when it comes to your meat. (This is also true for poultry and pork, but most people tend to eat those foods well done.) So while you may have cooked (or ordered) that steak medium-rare before your baby came on board, you'll now need to refrain from blood-red meat. Undercooked meat (and poultry) can harbor such bacteria as E. coli, Trichinella, and Salmonella (all of which can cause a bad case of food poisoning) or cause toxoplasmosis. And if you find that the restaurant burger you ordered came out a little too pink, don't be afraid to send it back. Now is not the time to be bashful. (Just keep your baby's safety in mind and you'll find it easier to release your inner restaurant diva!)

Hot Dogs and Deli Meat

That double turkey, salami, and onion with extra mustard might be tempting your pregnancy-crazed appetite, but it may not be the healthiest option out there right now. As a mommy-to-be, you should be steering clear of those foods that have been preserved with nitrates and nitrites, chemicals used in food preservation that (in high amounts) aren't good for a developing fetus. So along with that double-decker sandwich, you might want to forgo those hot dogs at the home game and that pâté at the party. Besides being loaded with preservatives (and fat), these foods also run the small risk of carrying the bacterium Listeria, which can get into your bloodstream and your baby-to-be's. If giving up deli is too big a sacrifice, switch to nitrate-free lunch meats and heat them up until steaming to get rid of any bacteria before you eat them (turkey melt, anyone?).

Raw Eggs

While it may seem like commonsense to refrain from raw eggs, you'll find them in more places than the yummy bits of batter that stick to the spatula. So unless something's been made with pasteurized eggs, avoid consuming foods where rawness runs rampant: homemade ice cream, raw batter or cookie dough, mayonnaise, and eggnog. Skip the Caesar dressings and hollandaise sauce unless you're absolutely certain they were made without eggs, and make sure those breakfast omelets are cooked through and through. As with raw meats and poultry, you don't want to take the chance of being exposed to Salmonella. To be absolutely safe, make sure the eggs you buy have been kept well refrigerated and the sell-by date hasn't expired.

High-Mercury Fish

You know fish is loaded with all those brain-boosting (good for baby) and mood-boosting (good for you) omega-3s. But it's easy to get confused about which fish is bad (e.g., high in mercury) and which is safe to eat. So here's a way to keep the rules of eating fish while pregnant simple: Avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish — they're the highest in mercury. Stay away from these other fish that contain contaminants: tuna steak and albacore tuna, grouper, farmed salmon, red snapper, wild striped bass, orange roughy, Atlantic halibut, and blue marlin. What's the safest seafood for expectant eaters? That would be wild salmon (fresh, frozen, or canned), pollack, arctic char, skipjack tuna, farmed rainbow trout, Pacific halibut, sole, tilapia, shrimp, sardines, or scallops. Aim for eating a six-ounce serving twice a week, but be sure the seafood is well-cooked.

Raw Sprouts

Thinking of putting some alfalfa or bean sprouts into your sandwich or salad to give it that extra crunch? Better think again. Raw sprouts have been linked to E. coli and Salmonella outbreaks, so they definitely belong to the "better-safe-than-sorry" category of foods to avoid during pregnancy. But you're not condemned to forgo that crunchy texture until you give birth. Try substituting baby spinach or baby arugula in your sandwich or salads or some thin-cut, French-style green beans. That will definitely kick the color and flavor of your sandwich up a couple notches — plus give you a serving of those healthy green veggies.

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